Revamped NHL all-star weekend to feature women's game, return of player draft

The NHL is going back to a player draft and adding a 3-on-3 women's game as part of an expanded NHL all-star weekend.

The league announced Monday its showcase set for early February in Toronto will include Thursday events in addition to Friday's skills competition and Saturday's all-star tournament at Scotiabank Arena.

The televised "All-Star Thursday" lineup will see team captains — accompanied by celebrity captains — select players to fill out four rosters, a game featuring members of the Professional Women's Hockey League, a tribute to the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs and the announcement of the NHL Alumni Man of the Year.

The event was cancelled in 2013 due to the lockout, while the game wasn't held in 2014 because of the Olympics.

Fan voting for 12 player spots at the NHL's all-star weekend, which is set to run Feb. 1-3, will open in January. The league will decide on the rest of the invitees.

In 2024, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLAllStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLAllStar</a> Weekend starts on Thursday.